Sjora Starcatcher
::"Who am I? You come aboard ''my ship an’''' 'demand ''my name? Ohh, you’ve got guts..."'' A notorious braggart of a pirate whose prized vessel bears the same name as her, 'Sjora Starcatcher '''is one of the most infamous spacebound criminals in the Ealdremen Galaxy. Ruling over a small but ruthless crew, her primary targets tend to be ships carrying huge amounts of Chrono. Background Sjora was born into piracy, no question about it. Though family legends are unclear just how far back the pirates in their family go, there are records of her ancestors being among the first renowned pirates following the Godbomb and Ealdremen society's slow return to intergalactic travel. [[The Starcatcher|The ''Starcatcher]], just like the surname derived from it, has been passed down from generation to generation, now coming into Sjora's posession. The bulk of her crew was also inherited from her predecessor (or were descendants thereof), though her notoriety and refusal to be subtle at all in her dealings has actually resulted in her crew growing in recent years. She predominately trained in hand-to-hand combat, also replacing her arm with a robotic one to further amplify her fighting prowess. Rumor has it that this is because her mother, the former captain of the Starcatcher, died after being disarmed and then shot with her own gun; after all, if Sjora largely fought with her fists, she couldn't have her weapons turned against her. Second Dream of Arplakoon Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns An apparent rival to the sabarian Mezunak Nukveh, Sjora quickly appeared in the Kes Joshawk campaign to steal the half of the key he had that would unlock the Wulfsvart Vaults. She had a spy on-board, a seemingly mute rakko named Thjonn, and from there was able to divide up the CC Meteorite's forces until her own could take over the ship. Sjora appeared in-person to direct the group that the CC Meteorite had sent to board the Starcatcher -- consisting of Jaspur, Oscare, Doji, Astruc, and Aricrauer -- to the prisons now that they were sorely outmatched. Sjora encountered this group once again after they broke out of prison, intending to retrieve Aricrauer's sword from Sjora (as one of her pirates had taken it from Aricrauer and presented it to Sjora as a gift). However, after a brief fight, Sjora offered them a deal -- since they were good fighters, she wanted their help in retrieving a treasure buried deep within a vault in Kes Joshawk. This treasure, called Stormwing's Soul, was said to have been left behind by the last emperor of the Alamo Empire. After some convincing and bargaining, they eventually agreed (albeit somewhat begrudgingly), and they were the team Sjora took with her once they landed on Raljikka. In the Wulfsvart Vaults, it was revealed that Stormwing's Soul was not a treasure in the strictest sense of the word, but was rather a robotic construct that held a perfect replication of Derrin Stormwing IX's memories and personality. It also turned out that Sjora had a motive other than treasure for seeking out Stormwing's Soul -- she wanted to know if it was true that she was a descendant of the last emperor. It was revealed that the key she held would only have worked if it was used by a descendant of Stormwing's, indicating her imperial heritage. When Derrin Stormwing IX's construct succeeded Hretlakk Flametail as leader of the Alamo Empire, he pardoned Sjora's crimes in return for her help in awakening him. His intention was to hopefully groom her into a respectable member of society to fit her lineage, but there were rumors that Sjora still was in contact with her old crew. Interim: The Sparrowhawk's Discovery In the second dream of Arplakoon, Jaspur contacted Sjora after finding out that his ship, the AEN Sparrowhawk, had been hijacked before it was set to arrive in Tikkinsett. Figuring her expertise on the matter would help identify where the ship had been spirited away to or by whom it was likely stolen, he met up with her near a local restaurant. After Jaspur explained the situation, Sjora plotted out the ship's original course and where it had probably been originally hijacked, deducing that the only place the hijackers could go to sell it would be the Fallen Arm Station, a small space station within Estvoled's orbit that was overrun with pirates and all sorts of lawless folk. Sjora promised to contact Jaspur with anymore information she found out, also wanting to "get in on the action" herself... but Jaspur couldn't help but feel as though Sjora had another motive. Alti Maru: The Last Stand Sjora appeared at the end of the Alti Maru campaign to locate Jaspur and take him (and, incidentally, the companions he acquired) to the Fallen Arm Station. Her bravado impressed Isaak and Cameo, the latter of which had considered her an idol of sorts during his illegal weapon trade days. She gave them a vague summary of the situation, but eventually discussed further plans with Jaspur and also agreed to take the disguised Kit Framtikk and keep her secret from the rest of the people aboard the ship. However, she had one request for Jaspur while he was there... If he could capture the leader of the Red Quasars, Sjora wanted him alive. She didn't specify why, and Jaspur didn't ask. Fallen Arm Station: The Sparrowhawk's Hope True to her word, Sjora brought the Sparrowhawk's would-be rescuers to Fallen Arm Station. She also gave them the name of a contact of hers there -- Veshnyak Vertorak, a wolfgang that had been there for quite some time but still answered to Sjora. Meta Sjora's surname and ship name were from a private Chrono Stars roleplay (wherein the two characters involved owned the eponymous ship). Sjora has one of the highest stat averages across all non-god NPCs, even outpacing the likes of Hretlakk Flametail and Varthenral numerically speaking. The fact that she even had Feivelkt in her possession at any point in time ought to make everyone fear for their lives. Category:Characters Category:Ealdremen Non-Player Characters Category:Pirates Category:Kes Joshawk: The Emperor Returns